Electrolytic cell.



A. M. GRIFFIN.

"ELECTROLYTIC CELL. nimmumn FILED APLZY, 1914.

1 1 1 7, 1 85, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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nnrrnn snares rnrnnr anion- -ALVAH M. GRIFFIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,ASSIGNOR OF ONE-'HALF TO M. O.

HACKETT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 171, TWA.

Application filed April 27, 1914. Serial No. 834,691.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be'it known that I, ALVAH M. GRIFFIN, a citizen of .the United States,residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Cells,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to oxygen and hydrogen generators and moreespecially to electrolytic cells, and my object is to produce anelectrolytic cell whereby hydrogen as well as oxygen is produced bytheelectrolysis of water and may be collected and stored, a furtherobject being to produce an electrolytic cell of the character outlinedwhich is of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiarfeatures of construction and organization as hereinafter described andclaimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to behad. to the accompanying drawing, in which Fi re 1, is a view of a pairof electro lytic cells embodying my invention, one being in elevationand the other in section on the line T-I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a planview of one of the cells.

In the said drawing, 1 indicates the terminals of an electrical circuitof proper voltage and amperage for producing electrolysis of water incells 2, of suitable conducting material, it l eing understood that inpractical'use a largenumber of these cells are necessary to produce gason a commercial scale.

3 is a plate of conducting material, depending-intothe water of eachcell, whichwater is charged with a suitable chemical to reduce theinternal resistance of each cell to the passage of electric current. Theplate 3 is bent to form a link 4" which extends to an adjacent cell, andterminates in a depending portion 5, to be secured to said adjacent cellto" complete the electrical connection be t-Weensaid cells. All cellsare connected together in like manner, so that the current supplied willcirculate between the wall and i the plate 3 of each cell through thewater thereof, and thus decompose the latter.

' 6 4 indicates an invertedtrough-s haped iron vessel'which is submergedat its open'end incthe water of each cell and incloses plate 3,;

,caping which divides the vessel into two chambers which communicate attheir upper ends through one or more orifices 7 in the plate, anddepending from the open end of the trough-shaped vessel is a sack 8,preferably of asbestos or any material which will permit water and theelectric current to pass through it but which is of such weave thatwhich project from the ends of said vessels 6, equipped with preferablygrooved insulators 12 which rest upon the end walls'of the cells, asshown.

For collecting the hydrogen generated, a rectangular frame 13 is fittedwithin and secured to each cell and isinsulated there from as at 14:,and each frame embodies an inwardly converging or projecting portion 15terminating in a portion 16 which depends into the water of the cellaround vessel 6, and incloses the upper end of said sack 8, and attachedto the latter at its lower end and at its upper end to said portion orflange 16, is what may be termed an inverted skirt 17, what littleoxygen and hydrogen that is generated externally of the trough-shapedreceptacle and within tlie frame 13 escaping from the open end of thecell. The hydrogen which is generated in the cell externally of the sackand of the skirt 17 passes up into the chamber formed by and; betweenthe cell and the portions 15 and 16 of the frame 14, and passes thencethrough tubes 18 into a manifold tube 19 leading to a suitable storagetank.

In some cases it maybe necessary to guard against contact of the sackswith the plates 3 and to accomplish this, I preferably interpose one, ormore pieces of insulation 20 between said plate and the sack so as-tohold the latter away from the plate and thus -i guard aigrainstanypossibility of oxygen esv .omthe sack and mixing with the hydrogengenerated externally thereto, or. an

rogcn passing into the sack and ing with the oxygen therein. As thecourse followed by the gases generated has been traced in connectionwith the description of the parts, a recapitulation is unnecessary.

From the above description it-will heapparent that I have produced anelectrolytlc cell for use in oxygen and hydrogen generating apparatusembodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and l wishit to he understood that I reserve the right to make all changes fallinwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

ll claim: I

1. An electrolytic cell comprising a receptacle of conducting material,an inverted trough-shaped vessel supported within and insulated from thereceptacle, with its loweror open end submerged in the liquid insaidreceptacle, a frame secured to and within the receptacle around saidvessel and depending into and forming an annular chamber above theliquid, an anode extending from a point within the vessel downward inthe liquid, a

sack attached at its upper end to the lower 1 end ofsaid vessel andinclosing the anode, and provided with an inverted skirt which flaresoutwardly and upwardly and is attached to said frame below the surfaceof the liquid, and separate means to conduct gas from the vessel andsaid annular chamer. 2. In an electrblytic cell, a receptacle ofconducting material containing a liquid, a

iniaiee vided with an arm e extending downward a considerable distance,a sack inclosing and insulated from the anode and communicating at itsupper end with said vessel and provided with an upwardly extending skirtattached to the inner edge of the said frame, separate means to conductgas from the said vessel and the said annular chamber, and electricconductors connected to the anode and the cell.

3. The combination of a series of cells, an anode in each electricallyconnected to the adj aoent cell, an inverted vessel communicating withand inclosing a part of each anode, a frame secured within each cellaround said vessel, a sack depending from each vessel around theadjacent portion of the anode, a skirt attached to eachvsack andextending upward and outward and attached to the surrounding frame, andpipes communicating with the interior of the vessel and the spacebetween the cell and the frame thereof.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALVAH M. GRIFFIN,

Witnesses:

7 EC Jenn, Gr. Y. 'llnonrn.

